Google Adds AI Max Features to Give Nigerian Businesses More Visibility and Control Over Search Ads

Google has introduced two features for AI Max for Search aimed at helping Nigerian businesses better understand what their Search ads deliver and guide how those ads appear.

Announced at DMEXCO in Cologne, Germany, the updates include a new Google Ads reporting feature and an expanded version of AI Brief, a Gemini-powered tool that lets advertisers provide campaign instructions in plain language.

The new report brings three parts of the customer journey into one view: what a customer searched for, which ad they saw and which page of the business’s website they visited. The information is currently available across different sections of Google Ads. The report is expected to roll out globally, including in Nigeria, later this year.

AI Brief allows advertisers to give AI Max instructions about ad messaging, search priorities and how to address different customer groups. For example, a business could specify “never mention prices,” “prioritise searches for school uniforms” or “for first-time buyers, highlight free delivery in Lagos.” Advertisers can review sample ads and searches before a campaign goes live. The tool is expanding through a global closed beta, with seven additional languages.

“We’re excited to give Nigerian businesses a clearer view of what their advertising delivers,” said Olumide Balogun, Director, East & West Africa, Google. “Every naira matters, especially in the weeks before Black Friday. With the new report, business owners will see on one screen the question a customer asked, the ad she saw and the page she landed on, which makes it far easier to decide where their budget works best.”

Google Vice President of Global Ads Dan Taylor announced the updates in his DMEXCO keynote, discussing changes in how people search. Google says searches in AI Mode are three times longer than traditional searches, with one in six made by voice or image.

Launched last year, AI Max was adopted by half a million advertisers in its first year, according to Google. The company says the product is designed to interpret customer intent beyond the exact words entered in a search and that advertisers using it are seeing 27% more conversions, such as sales or enquiries, at a similar cost.

Google also said ads now appear above and below AI Overviews—AI-generated summaries shown at the top of some search results—in more than 200 countries, including Nigeria. The placements reach two billion people, according to the company.

For example, a customer might move from searching “generator” to asking which small generator can power a freezer and two fans while using less fuel. AI Max is designed to help businesses reach customers making more detailed searches, while the new report will show which queries their ads appeared in response to.

“With Black Friday on 27 November and the festive season close behind, now is the time for businesses to set up their peak season campaigns,” Balogun added. “Most of these tools already sit inside the Google Ads accounts Nigerian businesses use today, and we want to help them make the most of them.”